Kyle Bracewell and Massimo Cibelli
With four of seven seats on the L.A. Community College District (LACCD) board of trustees on the ballot this Tuesday, the battle for control in the country’s largest community college district is heating up.
The Alliance for Education, a reform group headed by former trustee Pat Owens, is running a slate of four candidates against the four incumbents, and two independent candidates have joined the race for seat five on the board.
A key issue in this election is the oversight of more than $2 billion, funds secured through the passing of the A bond measure in 2001 and the AA bond measure in 2003. The bonds are earmarked for various improvements throughout the district.
Darroch “Rocky” Young, the LACCD chancellor, has announced his resignation, making the search for his replacement another important issue.
As Election Day approaches, and with control of such a large amount of money at stake, incumbents and challengers alike are scrambling to reach the voters and express their views on these issues.
-Seat One
Guy Mato, 49, of Gardena, is a businessman and member of the Alliance for Education. Mato has raised more than $7,000 for his election campaign.
If elected, he plans to make certain that communication with the student body is a number one priority.
“We need to relate with the students,” said Mato. “We need to be side by side with them.”
Furthermore, Mato feels the current board is not taking the necessary measures in aiding the 76 percent of students who fail to transfer.
“They need to be recognized, then helped,” he said.
Mato seeks similar beliefs in any prospective chancellor.
“The new chancellor needs to get out there, and work with the students,” said Mato. “If not, I’ll make sure we get one who will.”
Mato is against a third bond.
He feels the first two were wasted in an effort to construct new buildings for the district.
He wants the current board of trustees and bond oversight committee to verify and find out why the current bond money is gone.
Sylvia Scott-Hayes, 55, of Northeast L.A., is the incumbent for seat one of the LACCD board of trustees. She has raised more than $30,000 for her re-election campaign.
Currently serving as vice president of the board, Hayes helped to adopt a project labor agreement for the district’s two bond measures.
If re-elected, Scott-Hayes plans to complete the work that she has started.
“I want to re-engage and reconfirm our commitment,” she said.
Once appointed, the new chancellor needs to continue the vision “Rocky” Young developed in unison with the board, according to Scott-Hayes.
“I am looking forward for the [chancellor] to be a partner with the board.”
“He or she needs to have a clear understanding of the board and its beliefs,” she said.
The most controversial topic of this election is the allocation of money from the first two bonds.
“It is much of our responsibility to finish as much as we can, the buildings of our campuses,” said Scott-Hayes.
“I will work hard to make it happen.”
-Seat Three
Jozef Thomas Essavi, 32, of Winnetka, is a businessman and member of the Alliance for Education.
Essavi has raised between $25,000 and $30,000 for his election campaign.
If elected, he will make every effort to ensure affordable education for students.
“Every student pays 30 percent higher for books than they would at a non-union bookstore.” said Essavi.
“I want to help bring the costs down.”
Along with his associates from the Alliance for Education, Essavi is ready to take on the challenge in lowering the incredibly high transfer failure rate.
He plans not to be a mirror image of the current board.
“If I do not lower the percentage, then I promise to not seek re-election.”
Essavi anticipates the new chancellor to have good character and plenty of experience.
“He or she has to be apolitical, easy to work with and trustworthy.”
Like the other three members of his group, Essavi is strict with only one exception: opposing a third bond.
Only after a full review of the potential bond was completed would he ask voters to decide.
“I will stand by the taxpayers, voters and students.
“I am here for them, with open ears and mind,” he said.
Mona Field, 53, of Eagle Rock, is a political science professor at Glendale Community College and incumbent for seat three of the LACCD board of trustees.
Field has raised more than $20,000 for her re-election campaign.
If re-elected, Field plans to help students get the academic counseling they need.
“I will make certain to do whatever it takes for students to have accessible counselors at convenient times,” said Field.
The two-term board member is also working on a possible fee reduction to $15 per unit.
Field looks forward for the next chancellor to continue in Young’s footsteps.
“We want he or she to be a team builder with high integrity.”
As for a third bond, Field is ambivalent.
Every project they do goes through the Department of State Architecture.
The department has been inundated with projects to review, due to requests from 72 community colleges districts.
Hence, the delays are a major concern.
-Seat Five
Georgia Mercer, 65, of Beverly Hills, is the incumbent for seat five of the LACCD board of trustees. She has raised more than $45,000 for her re-election campaign.
If re-elected, Mercer will focus on promoting the Community College Initiative, which was recently added to the ballot for 2008. Among other things, its passing would secure the LACCD’s portion of Prop. 98 funding and stabilize student enrollment fees at $15/unit.
Mercer will also continue to maintain a balanced budget if re-elected.
“When the current board was elected eight years ago, the district was in poor fiscal shape,” said Mercer.
“Today, it is in its best fiscal situation in 45 years.”
Mercer commented on Young’s pending departure, saying, “If we could clone Rocky, that would be great. Rocky Young is a miracle-maker.”
She has begun thinking about the qualifications of the next chancellor, however, and believes they should have experience with budgetary issues, function comfortably in the legislative arena and have “a commitment to implementing a strategic plan to improve the district.”
Mercer is satisfied with the current handling of the A and AA bonds.
“I think we’ve done an excellent job,” she said.
As for the possibility of a third bond, she said, “We’re just not there yet.”
Roy Burns, 60, of Reseda, is a community college teacher, a Pierce graduate and a member of the Alliance for Education.
Burns has raised more than $15,000 for his election campaign.
If elected, he plans to focus on ensuring that education for students in the community college system is improved.
He seeks to increase the number of graduates and improve students’ overall test scores.
In the search for a new chancellor, Burns believes the focus should be on finding someone with “similar educational beliefs.”
“We need someone who will place students before the bureaucracy and spend available funds in the classroom, not on the administration,” Burns said.
“Reform is necessary to improve our educational system.”
Burns is not happy with the current handling of the A and AA bonds.
“Instead of building new administration buildings, we should be improving the
environment in which our students learn,” he stated.
Mike Rives, 58, of Eagle Rock, is a cancer center coordinator at the VA Hospital in West Los Angeles.Though he accepts donations, Rives is not soliciting campaign contributions, using much of his own money to fund his campaign.
If elected, Rives plans to expand the nursing and law enforcement training programs.
He would like to centralize the nursing program, which is currently spread across six campuses.
Rives also wants to look into reorganizing the nine LACCD schools into “university-style campuses,” with each college focusing on separate areas of study.
On the topic of the search for a new chancellor, Rives stated he would like someone who “thinks out of the box,” and who would consider a university-style system.
Rives does not agree with the current handling of the A and AA bonds.
“The current board is spending too much money on parking structures,” Rives said.
“They are also not open enough about expenditures.”
Rives does not support the idea of a third bond.
Hanna Hajjar, 55, of Tarzana, is a self-employed mechanical engineer and an inventor.
His campaign, funded with his own money, has cost less than $3,000 so far.
Hajjar, wanting to avoid the traditional “yard sign” campaign, utilizes animated clips on YouTube.com to spread his message.
Disapproving of the current board’s handling of the A and AA bonds, Hajjar believes overspending is occurring and mismanagement is to blame.
He is currently opposed to any further bonds.
If elected, Hajjar says his engineering background would help to end overspending by the LACCD board.
“The board is a group of educators doing business with contractors,” said Hajjar. “The best person to deal with contractors is an engineer.”
Hajjar also wants to change current student representation on the LACCD board to include one representative from each campus. Currently, one student trustee represents all nine campuses.
In reference to the search for a new chancellor, Hajjar said, “I’d like to see a person who is in touch with all nine of the colleges.
We could use an accountant with a strong financial understanding of the colleges. We need a problem-solver.”
-Seat Seven
Warren T. Furutani, 59, of Gardena, is the incumbent for seat seven of the LACCD board of trustees.
He is also an education consultant for the Speaker of the California Assembly, Fabian Nunez. Furutani has raised approximately $30,000 for his re-election campaign.
“Community colleges are becoming the affirmative action program for universities,” Furutani stated.
“We need to ensure fair funding and positioning in the public education system.”
Furutani’s other goals are to rally support for the Community College Initiative, complete the construction program and coordinate the workforce development system.
On the search for a new chancellor, Furutani said, “We’re looking for someone experienced, a leader who understands the role of community colleges and the community college student… someone with unique ideas.”
The A and AA bonds are paying for the construction occurring across the district.
“I’m pleased with the construction progress,” Furutani said.
“The satellite campus being constructed in Atwater at the old Van de Kamp’s bakery site could go a little faster… We’re focused on finishing the current building projects to show the public that their money was well spent.”
Hector Gurule, 32, of Alhambra, is a self-employed computer consultant. He has raised more than $13,000 for his election campaign.
Gurule’s focus is on the vocational courses offered on the nine campuses of the LACCD.
“The number of vocational classes offered is gradually dropping, as is the number of units per class,” he said.
“This is making it increasingly difficult for the students to finish in two years.”
Also important to Gurule is the students’ ability to stay in touch with the teachers.
“The teachers’ office hours have been reduced, making them less accessible,” he stated. “This was to avoid increasing their base pay to cover the extra office hours.”
In Gurule’s opinion, it is crucial for the new chancellor to have “common views” with the board.
“In the past, ideological differences between the chancellor and the board of trustees have caused costly delays,” he said.
“It is important that a new chancellor be on the same page with them.”
On the A and AA bonds issue, Gurule believes misspending is occurring.
He is referring primarily to the leasing of 770 Wilshire Blvd. and the multiple renovations to the site, which were funded with bond money.
Although the funds are earmarked for specific improvements, he believes that they are not being used for their intended purposes. He does not support a third bond.
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